Fueling sustainability

Wondering where the action's at in consulting these days? Sure, there's still plenty of activity in HR, health care and the financial markets, but I cannot overstate how much consulting activity there is going on in the sustainability/climate change area. This week alone has been a hotbed of activity on that front:

A.T. Kearney was selected to analyze and write the "CDP Supply Chain Report 2010." The CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is an independent nonprofit that holds the largest database of corporate climate change information in the world. The objectives of the report are to raise awareness of the importance of carbon disclosure and to provide "actionable strategies" for implementing low-carbon supply chains.

A.T. Kearney has a standup reputation in the sustainability field, having announced in September 2007 that it would attempt to become a carbon-neutral operation within a few years. To that end, it has made changes to the levels and modes of employee travel, made more environmentally friendly choices in hotels and rental car companies, and increased its use of public transportation. In December 2008, its Cambridge, Mass., office became LEED certified due to its implementation of a range of green practices, such as reducing lighting power and introducing more efficient water fixtures.

Also this week, IBMlaunched a consulting service—coined "sustainable asset analytics"—aimed at reducing the costs and environmental impact associated with managing property, equipment and business activities. By monitoring their resources more effectively, the goal is for clients to reduce energy and water use, lower greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and improve efficiency.

And why stop there? Earlier this week, The Economist recognized Logica's emission-monitoring solution—EMO—as one of "ten game-changing solutions to combat climate change." Basically, EMO monitors emissions from every vehicle and transmits those values to the central office, which can then tailor fuel prices to the individual driver. The aim is to incentivize more environmentally friendly driving behavior.

And that's just a sampling of what's going on this week. Keep your eyes open and stay on top of this booming area.